4 Cool projects that combine Legos and Raspberry Pi

There's always a way to put the small and inexpensive Raspberry Pi to good use. Here are four fun Raspberry Pi projects that incorporate Legos.

1. Lego Model Smart Home

Almost six years ago, a company called PubNub created a Data Stream Network for developers to build real-time apps easily. The company recently showed users how home automation with a Raspberry Pi works by using Legos. The house runs on a Raspberry Pi Model B+, includes seven embedded LEDs, sensors that measure humidity, barometric pressure, and temperature and includes a stepper motor that remotely opens and closes the door.

2. Lego Spectrometers

Students from Imperial College in London provided the Raspberry Pi Foundation with a project they’ve been working on— a UV-Vis spectrometer constructed out of Legos. The team used a Raspberry Pi to collect data and plan to create a simplified version that will teach younger kids that there’s much more to light than what they know about the visible spectrum.

3. Chicken Pi: Egg laying Lego Chicken

Raspberry Pi enthusiast Richard Hayler and his two sons built an egg-laying machine using a Raspberry Pi and Legos. They used a Lego WeDo hub and a distance sensor that works with the Raspberry Pi to activate the motor to lay an egg. The father and sons team creates a lot of cool Raspberry Pi projects so check out Hayler’s website for more.

4. Raspberry Pi-Powered Lego Car

Although this project dates back over two years, Raspberry Pi Lego cars are always fun projects. Another Raspberry Pi hobbyist used a Dual H Bridge DC Stepper Motor Drive Controller Board, a cellphone battery pack charger, and a vintage Lego 8860 car chassis kit to create this car and then made upgrades to it a year later in version 2.0.